Yes, soon after ASHPumps come in about 10 years ago we were visited by a pair of salesmen who tried to persuade us that our dwelling would be ideal - despite the fact that our property is 600 years old, of wattle and daub construction, and inevitably poorly insulated.......
I instaled my ASHP to my ex local authority semi 10 years ago and it has been as efficient and cost effective as gas. (I also have gas at the property so could have installed standard gas CH but as my company was selling renewables at the time I though I should put my money where my mouth was.)
Yes (spit). My old oil boiler was approaching end of life and I filled in an enquiry on line which resulted in a few companies making contact. I went with Greener Living from Sheffield who talked all the right talk, had a energy efficiency survey carried out and had a lot of favourable trustpilot comments AT THE TIME. The sub contract installation team were tidy and carried out their job efficiently. Unfortunately GL commissioning abilities were inadequate. We spent months living in sub-comfort temperatures and despite many complaints no remedial works. Finally I involved the national registration bodies. NAPIT took them to task and kicked them into action. I had a visit from a guy who seemed to be the only knowledgeable member of the team. He identified missing items and when this was rectified the house became warm again but because more energy was being pumped into the house the electric bills rose accordingly. Running costs even now are slightly higher than they were with oil. Fortunately the RHI grants were still available so over 7 years I get progressive payments towards the capital outlay. I used my own bank for a loan and the RHI covers the repayments. Candidly I'd simply replace the oil boiler with a condensing model now. I'm told GL have now gone bust.
